Interesting opinion piece in the Boston Globe arguing that there’s too much historical fiction being written today. Even when it’s good, the author says, it has become a requirement that keeps novelists from examining the contemporary world.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/02/opinion/books-historical-fiction-manshel-writing-backwards/
by GraniteGeekNH
5 Comments
It’s behind a paywall. But I can already predict what the author thinks about fantasy.
I think saying that historical fiction can’t be used as a lens for examining contemporary issues is a bit narrow-minded – or when *Colson Whitehead* is your example, maybe even deliberately disingenuous. “Women like Ursula Le Guin and Ann Leckie are writing science fiction rather than exploring gender or politics”.
Trends are just that. Bestsellers are famous for them and literary fiction isn’t immune to them either (compare [Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAG9Xn5bJwQ&pp=ygUaYXdhcmQgd2lubmluZyBtb3ZpZSBzYXRpcmU%3D)). I don’t think there’s anything to worry about just yet.
“I’m not a fan of A. I’m a fan of B. I don’t see enough B, so I’m going to blame A.”
Love historical fiction. There’s not enough of them IMO.
Wow, the entirety of literature is so off track! So glad we have Craig Fehrman to tell us exactly what sort of books should be written and the amount of each sort. Thanks Craig, couldn’t read without you!